Other Than Blood-lust
by PurpleElm23723
Summary: Loki has been offered a bride by a king, to end the years of war that have ravaged the land. When he sees a fair maiden as he arrives, he wants nothing more than to take her to his bed, only to find out that the slippery minx was his intended.
1. Chapter 1

"Thor, my brother, what is it?" I look up to see the hulking form of my twin brother sticking its head through the flap of my tent.

"There is a messenger here to see you."

"Whom is his lord?"

"Our enemy."

"Send him in." I sighed as a young man stepped into my tent. He looked no more than fifteen, very young for a herald, and too old to be a pageboy. I sat up straighter, eyeing him in cold calculation. The boy fidgeted under my gaze.

He bowed as he said, "please forgive my intrusion sir, but my master has a proposition for you."

"A proposition? How cowardly."

"Please, sir, he says he will give you his daughter's hand in marriage if you will but stop this war. He will even provide you with a keep."

"A wife and a castle?" I sneered. "What need have I of those?"

The boy quaked in his boots, "the princess is the most desired lady in the realm. I myself have laid eyes on her but once, as she passed by." The boy seemed to look into the distance as he said, "she is the most beautiful woman, sir. With hair like a chestnut and eyes the color of moss. Her skin is fair and smooth as cream, with teeth as white as newly fallen snow. Her lips are as pink as the freshest rose, and her hands as soft and gentle as a kitten. You will not be disappointed sir."

"How old is the princess?"

"Not yet past her eighteenth year, sir."

"And what of the keep?"

"The only keep more fortified, sir, is the king's."

I thought for a moment. This princess sounded only mildly interesting, but having a keep of my own was the next best thing to having a kingdom of my own. I ran a hand through my hair, sighing and looking over the boy again. He seemed well fed and well taken care of, so his king was obviously one that cared for his subjects.

"Tell your king I'll accept his offer for this keep you speak of, and stop this war. I'll accept it though, only on one condition."

"Sir?"

"I'll only accept, if he allows me to be my own lord, and that I will not have him as my liege. I am my only lord and liege. Oh, and tell him I'll have his daughter as consolation for all this trouble I've gone through." I turned my back to the boy, "this girl had better be as beautiful as you say, or I will hunt you down and kill you myself."

I grinned at the boy's soft choking noise, "do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good... now run along and tell your king of my conditions." The boy ran out of the tent as fast as his long legs could carry him, almost running into my brother on his way out.

Thor chuckled, "must you scare the messenger half to death?"

"It's quite entertaining to scare them into submission."

"You also find it fun to trick the maids of your latest customer into your bed."

"That gets old rather quickly though, for after I'm done with them, they just keep coming back for more... What I want is a woman who won't beg me to come to her, but will take what she wants by force instead."

"You want a mythical being."

"Did you hear the boy talk of his king's daughter?" I chuckled. "The boy seemed quite taken himself! He said her hair was the color of chestnuts and her skin as fair and smooth as cream."

"She sounds delicious," Thor laughed.

"Just wait, there's more! The boy was positively smitten! He also said her eyes were green as moss, and her teeth as white as newly fallen snow. Her hands are also said to be as soft and gentle as a kitten, and her lips the color of the freshest spring rose."

"And how old is this fair maiden?"

"Not past her eighteenth year, the boy said."

"What?! She's but a child!"

"Girls have been wed younger. Our own mother had us at the age of fifteen."

"True, but don't you want someone closer to your age?"

"Who said I wanted her? I was simply offered her by the king and I decided to take her as consolation for stopping this ridiculous war."

"Brother, I hope you know what you are doing." Thor then walked out of the tent, his blood-red cloak swishing after him.

I adjusted my armor and sat at my makeshift desk, deciding that three days from now would be as good a time as any to see this apparently beautiful princess and her fool of a father.


	2. Chapter 2

"Loki, as much as I enjoy war, I am glad that you decided to end this."

"As am I brother. This ridiculous king was beginning to get on my nerves."

Thor threw back his blonde head and laughed. He looked truly an amazing sight in the sunlight. We may have been twins, but we looked nothing alike. It was like seeing the two sides of the moon when we stood next to each other. He was a blonde giant with sparkling blue eyes and a boisterous laugh. I, on the other hand, was lithe and dark haired, with eyes the color of grass after it rained.

I ran a hand through my hair, sighing, before sliding my helmet over my head. Thor did the same next to me, and I heard his chuckle as we spurred our horses in the direction of our latest enemy's home.

We arrived to a barrage of jubilant sound and dancing bonfires. Thor turned to me, "I believe they are celebrating the end of the war."

"Then they are celebrating too soon." I thought for a moment, realizing that their king must have accepted my terms, otherwise they wouldn't be celebrating. My frown turned into a grin of success. I had won, not the war, but a diplomatic battle. In my opinion, the second was the greater of the two.

Smirking, I lifted off my helmet and rode through the crowds of people, who, by now, had stopped their dancing long enough to stare at myself and my company. Many a woman's eye appreciated the strength that radiated from my brother. I couldn't blame them, every woman he met fell at his feet. Feeling slightly miffed, I noticed a few of the older women looking my way and I grinned. I had always found that the more experienced women preferred a battle of the wits to a battle of the tongues, and I found myself silently agreeing.

I mentally preened, satisfied they had sensed my intelligence, and slid a hand through my hair once again, hearing more than one woman sigh in appreciation. I sneered and rode through the crowds to the biggest fire, closest to the castle. upon arrival, a pageboy took the reigns of my horse and I made my way to a richly dressed man of about fifty.

For his advanced age, the king seemed to be in excellent health and fitness, and his dark hair was only peppered with grey. He grinned stiffly, rising as I approached, and inclined his head slightly.

"Welcome to my home. I assume you are the knight I have had the pleasures of fighting a war with."

I liked this old king, I could see he was a man much like myself; calculating and stubborn, rather than rash and aggressive. I grinned, "I am. My name is Sir Loki, and this is my brother, Sir Thor."

The king shook my hand with caution, as well as Thor's, before saying, "I am Owen, and I am glad that we have reached an agreement. With you being a freelancer, I thought you might ask to be your own lord. But one cannot squash that one inkling of hope, that you might lend an old king your might." He smiled, "but no matter! I shall see to it that your men are wined and dined, and that you have adequate accommodations." The king smiled and pointed to the fire, "and I assure you that there are more than enough women to keep you and your men satisfied, though I must ask you and your men to leave the virgins, virgins, unless they plan on marrying the girl."

"I assure you, your highness, that my men have far better control than you give them credit for." I smiled stiffly.

"Good. I hoped as much. Now, let's have some introductions, for you are going to be my son in law now."

"Ah, yes..." I internally frowned. I had momentarily forgotten I was to marry his daughter. I began to search the girls that were dancing around the fire closest to me, and was intrigued to see that many of them were almost scandalously clad. Some of them wore only a shift while still others wore thin gowns of silk scarves that left little to the imagination.

Just then, one girl in particular caught my eye. 'Not an easy feat,' I thought to myself, grinning. Her flowing curls were the color of cinnamon, and her skin glowed gold in the firelight. Her slight curves were subtle underneath her flowing scarves, hips just wide enough to tell she wasn't a child. Her breasts were lacking when compared to those of Thor's preferred paramours, but I thought they were the perfect size for holding. Her eyes flashed with mischief and intelligence, and I was instantly filled with lust. She flashed a grin in my direction and moved suggestively. I would have such breaking her.

Suddenly, I was called back to the present, as I was being introduced to a handsome lady, the queen. "Please, call me Neri. You are to be my son in law soon, so I see no need for formalities."

"It is a pleasure, your highness." I bowed low over her hand, giving its aged back a slight kiss. "I only hope your daughter is as beautiful as you."

"Oh, my dear, you are a sly dog! I am old! I know when I'm no longer beautiful!" The queen laughed and waved me away. She was as intelligent as her husband. If these two were so intelligent, then why have a war with a rogue knight? I laughed to myself; no one ever said they were intelligent in the ways of war.

"Speaking of my daughter, I think now is as good a time as any for you to meet her. She just over there, by the fire. She does love to dance at the festivals." The queen flipped her hand to a nonspecific place in the general direction of the fire.

The king piped up, slightly glowing with pride, "she sings too... like a bird."

I grinned. She wouldn't be singing in our marriage bed, that was for damn sure, though she would dance under my touch. I smiled when the king called, "Elly, darling! Come, there is someone I'd like you to meet!"

I turned to the fire, only to be hit in the gut and loins with shock and lust. The girl that had caught my eye earlier was now dancing towards us, twisting and turning as she walked. She seemed to float above the grass, stepping mostly on her toes. As she grew closer, she recognized me and grinned, making another slightly provocative movement.

This little seventeen year old was shockingly knowledgeable in the art of men, though how she came to be so was beyond me. All I knew was that I wanted to bed her right there on the grass, married or not. I swallowed as she approached her father, her small chest heaving. I looked over to Thor, but he was too preoccupied looking at a maiden by the fire.

True to his preference, she was full chested, with shockingly red hair and brown eyes. Hilariously, Thor was trying not to salivate as she danced past him. His arms even moved slightly, as though he wanted nothing more than to take her into his arms, which I knew he did. Shaking my head at my oafish brother, I turned back to the king and his daughter.

She was the most divine creature I had ever seen. Her skin still glowed in the light, but now I could see that it was just as silky as the messenger had said. Her eyes were as intelligent as those of her parents, and her hands were dainty, with perfectly rounded nails. An unbidden, but not unwelcome image of her running those very hands over my chest floated past my mind's eye. I was again filled with lust and for once was very glad my armor covered most of my body, otherwise my lechery would be visible to all.

I bowed low over her hand as her father introduced us, grinning up at her as I kissed it. Her eyes flared with a sudden fire and yet another surge of lust ran through my loins. I silently cursed my body, wondering how, in all of Valhalla, this girl had captured not only my eyes but my uncooperative member as well. I pushed such thoughts aside, entertaining, rather, thoughts of how I myself had been affecting her. She was just as attracted to me as I was to her, though I knew not why. Most often, the younger ones flocked to my brother.

However, it was a nice change, and I was reveling in thoughts of bending her over the table the king was sitting at and taking her from behind whilst she screamed my name. I flashed her another smile as I stood, letting go of her silky hand. She smiled back at me, mischief again in her eyes, as she said, her voice surprisingly low, "what a pleasure it is, to meet my future husband before my wedding. I am fortunate compared to others such as my cousin, who met hers at the altar."

She was witty, and I grinned at her subtle dig at her father. She was going to be such fun to break. I returned with, "I am fortunate to be able to marry such a fine rose as yourself."

"A rose? Ha!" Queen Neri laughed. "You had better be prepared for her thorns then!"

Elly flashed another teasing smile as she left to return to the fire. I licked my lips as she resumed her provocative rhythm, and turned to the king, "and when is our marriage to be held?"

"Eager are we?" The king chuckled sourly. "As soon as you like, but I ask you to have it after her birthday at the end of the week."

"She'll be eighteen then?"

"Yes."

"Would she oppose to having it on her birthday?"

"I- You'd have to ask her."

"I see... Well, your highness, I seem to be tired from the journey. I must retire."

"Ah, yes, of course! Peter, take Sir Loki and his brother to their rooms."

The messenger boy from before, poked his head out from behind a large barrel, a frightened look on his face. He walked up to me slowly and I grinned a wolfish grin at him, "I won't bite, young one... For your description of the princess was sorely lacking."

A look of confusion and fright crossed the boy's face, until he realized I wasn't going to kill him. He then smiled sheepishly and led us into the castle.


	3. Chapter 3

Luckily, our rooms were only on the second floor, close to the staircase. I was not fond of sleeping on the top floor, far away from the stairs when in the house of my enemy. The rooms were warm and brightly lit, revealing large beds and enormous fireplaces. Thor thumped me on the back, "we are lucky, brother, to be so readily welcomed into the midst of our enemy."

"Yes, but he seems a bit too eager to please us."

"He is only relieved to have the war over. He lost a lot of good men, and his fields are half the size they once were. He is eager for peace, brother, not treachery."

"I hope you are right, brother... but I did notice you lusting after that little redheaded minx."

"She told me her name..."

"Oh? And?"

"Trish."

"Are you going to bed her?"

"It depends."

"On what?"

"If she's a virgin."

"Oh... would you marry her?"

"When I've only just met her?! Loki, you know I hate that kind of commitment just as much as you do."

"I'm starting to see the benefits of it... and besides, you have one week to woo her."

"One week? What's in one week?"

"My wedding to Princess Elly."

"You're actually going to marry her?!"

"And you wouldn't?"

"She's tiny, and young, and I'd be afraid of hurting her."

"Oh, something tells me she won't be so easily hurt... no, she's going to be so entertaining."

"You speak of her as you would a plaything."

"Well, that's exactly what she's going to be."

"You are a monster."

"...," I was shocked. "Since when do you care how I treat women?! Look at yourself! You wine and dine them, use them and then toss them away! And you speak of me being a monster!" I turned away in fury, tossing what wine I still had in my goblet into the fire.

Thor bristled and then walked to the door. He looked over his shoulder, "I hope you realize that if you do not respect her, you will lose her."

I threw my goblet at the back of his head, missing him by a hair's breadth, as he left. "You know nothing of respect, either, dear brother!" I fumed as the door slammed shut; who was he to tell me I needed to learn respect. I knew respect. I had respect for those that earned it, and those that showed me respect.

My thoughts turned back to the princess as I stalked to the desk in the corner, stripping off my armor. She was gorgeous, of that there was no doubt, but she seemed a bit too eager for my attention. I decided to avoid her for a couple of days before seeing her again, hoping she would gain some patience... I like a bit of a chase.

I sighed, running my hands over my face when a small knock came at my door. Confused, I waited, and heard it again. Three soft knocks came from the oak door. I stood, taking a small dagger from my boot and hiding it in my sleeve as I approached the door. I slowly pulled the door open, only to see, to my surprise, the princess herself standing in the hall.

Elly's hair was now braided, and she was dressed more modestly in a nightgown and robe, though her feet were bare. She looked so tiny, there in the candlelight, staring up at me with eyes as round as saucers. She opened her mouth to speak but then closed it, blushing. She opened again, taking a deep breath, "I-I'm sorry to disturb you at such a late hour, I'll just-" She turned away, as if to leave, but I caught her wrist.

"Princess, you came an awful long way just to tell me goodbye as soon as I open the door." I smiled at her, "whatever it is must be important."

She turned to face me, a blush high on her defined cheekbones, "I- it's nothing really... I just- could you let go of me please?"

I grinned and dropped her wrist, "forgive me."

"Thank you," she pointed into the room behind me. "Might I come in?"

"Are you sure you want to be alone with a man you barely know?"

"We are to be married, I see no problem."

"I quite agree."

She blushed at what I was insinuating. Elly was by far the most intriguing girl I had ever met. I smiled at her again, "how is it you know what happens between a man and a woman? Surely your mother told you."

"She did tell me the basics..." Elly blushed again. "But it was Homer, Sophocles, and Euripides that taught me the rest." She turned away to face the fireplace, the light dancing upon her face. "They taught me how a man could love a woman, but it was still others that taught me how things really happen between a husband and wife... and between unmarried men and women..."

Elly suddenly grew frantic and blushed furiously, still not looking me in the eye. Suddenly she said, "I know you cannot promise me, but I would be very glad if you didn't take a mistress whilst married to me."

I was shocked. She'd come to have the "when we're married" talk. I chuckled, "There is no way I can promise that..." I decided there was only one way to get her to trust me: to lie. I smiled gently at her, taking her hand in mine, "I can only promise that I will do my best to stay away from temptation."

Elly smiled at me before growing shy again. She fiddled with her gown, standing suddenly. She looked between myself and the door a few times, inhaling as if she was about to say something before thinking better of it. I grinned at her nervousness, "if there is something you'd like to say, I hope you do it soon, for I'd very much like to retire."

Elly flushed again, a small sigh escaping her perfect lips. "Oh..." She looked down at her hands, her brow furrowed before she stood and took a tentative step towards me. She closed her eyes for a moment, and then opened them, a determined look now etched in the planes of her face. I felt myself grow still as she approached, but I didn't move from my place.

Princess Elly reached up a tiny hand but paused when she saw me stiffen, though she resumed when I made no move to leave. Her fingers brushed my cheek, her touch as light as a butterfly's wings as they traced my jawline. I breathed in her scent as she stood in front of me, and my senses muddled at the smell of peppermint and honey.

Elly then stood on tiptoe, looking up into my face as if to gauge my reaction to her closeness, before touching my lips lightly with her own.

Lust filled my body, but I willed myself to remain still. Her lips were every bit as soft as they looked, and they tasted of a heady wine. I scolded myself for wanting nothing more than to fling her onto the bed, and mentally smacked myself when I felt the urge to deepen the kiss. She was supposed to be the one seduced, not the other way around!

Suddenly, she broke away, a blush still coloring her cheeks and a small smile gracing her lips, but then a shadow flitted across her face and tears filled her eyes as she ran from the room. I made no move to stop her, for I was still in shock at what she had done and how I had reacted. I did not sleep a wink that night.


	4. Chapter 4

"Never have I been so aroused by a chaste kiss!" I ran my fingers through my hair as Thor and I walked to the training grounds.

"Brother, never have I seen you so perplexed! She must be quite the girl to have your trousers in a bunch!" Thor chuckled and shook his head. "Try to compose yourself, I need you to be focused when I beat your sorry arse!"

I laughed, "like you could ever defeat me in battle! Remind me, what happened the last time we fought?" Grinning at my slightly older brother, I watched as his face twisted into a small scowl.

"You cheated!" Thor glared at me, his ego obviously still sore from the blow I'd given it.  
I chuckled and shook my head, "cheating is such a strong word... I more so tipped the odds in my favor."

"You cheated."

"Call it what you will, I still won." I turned my attention back to the arena in front of me, taking in the amount of soldiers practicing in the yard. "I see we wont have as much room as I thought."

Thor chuckled and asked the nearest guard who and where the weapons master was. The guard scowled at him and told him to piss off. I moved to silence the man for his insolence, but stopped when an older man pushed his way through the soldiers, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Oh, shut it you twat! You're jus' miffed 'cause one of their men nearly castrated you las' week!" The older man walked up to Thor and me as a few of the surrounding soldiers chuckled. He held out a hand and I took it, smiling at what must be the weapons master.

He grinned back, "sorry 'bout that. M' name's Croaly, sirs, and I welcome you to our meager training grounds. I assume a place t' practice 's what you boys' lookin for, eh?" Croaly looked Thor and I up and down, the smile slowly falling from his face.

Thor grinned, "aye, and someone to repair our weapons, if it's not too much trouble."

The grin returned to Croaly's face and he gestured for us to follow. The ring of metal against metal grew as we approached what must be the king's weapons smith. I followed Croaly around a corner and saw a bear of a man hammering away at a glowing strip of metal. He looked up when Croaly cleared his throat between swings and set down his giant blacksmith's hammer.

Personally, I was rather grand in battle, but even with my skill I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of a blow swung by this man. If he'd been a bear hunched over his anvil, he was a veritable giant when he stood straight. I almost gulped and looked over at Thor. He gave me a look that said he admired the strength in this man. I wasn't admiring his strength, but I did grudgingly respect it. Croaly grinned up at the huge man and introduced him.

"This 'ere is Arthur Carlisle, our residan' weapon smith. He'll fix your weapons in no time!" Croaly turned to go but appeared to remember something. He looked over his shoulder and said, "oh, by th' way, our training grounds are open for your use any time, sirs. I'll just be gettin' back to my du'y." Thor and I nodded our assent and turned back to the smith.

Thor spoke first, holding out a hand, "it's nice to meet you, Carlisle, I assume it was your work I saw out on the battlefield." The man nodded. "You have a lot of talent, sir, I've never seen such balance in a sword." The man let loose a small twisted smile.

His voice rumbled like an avalanche, "thank you, I daresay it was one of my fellow, fallen men whose sword you took. No offense to you my lords, I'm only speaking what must be the truth."

I admired his spite and joined in when Thor darkly chuckled. "Yes, I'm afraid so," Thor said. "But even still, it was a fine bit of workmanship, and I hope you'll forgive my brother and I enough to repair our weapons."

"I think I might... May I see your weapons?" Thor pulled his war-hammer from his belt and handed it to the man, as well as the short sword he kept on the other side. Carlisle admired the weight of the war-hammer and gazed at Thor.

"If you fancy war-hammers, my lord, I have a few that might interest you... But I will take a look at this one and see what I can do." I handed the smith my blade and he balanced it on his finger. "beautiful balance, if a bit lightweight. Quite a few nicks in the metal... Might I suggest, my lord, a heavier blade? I daresay you could handle it."

Thor chuckled, "you're quite right, Carlisle, but my brother prefers to use his speed rather than his strength. 'Tis why he uses such a small sword."

"I can see why, but if you are to go into battle with this blade anytime soon, it will break and you will die... I mean no disrespect my lord, it only seems that you are too strong for this blade." I was shocked. I'd always been told to use a lighter blade, that I'd be too weak to handle anything else. Even I thought myself, I was too weak. Something made me trust this smith, though, and I said, "well then what blade do you suggest?"

Carlisle grinned and walked through a leather curtain hanging in the back of the room. He returned with a long, thick blade that gleamed in the light of his forge. I internally blanched when he held it out to me, but I took it and gripped it in my fist. Surprisingly, it was lighter than I had expected and supple in my grasp, if not a bit long for my taste. The longer I examined it, however, the more I grew to admire it.

"How much?" I looked up at the blacksmith, willing to pay any price for this work of art.  
Carlisle shook his head, smiling. "I only ask for your old blade. It is the perfect size for my son who will be joining the king's army in a few years. It will be perfect for him once I rework it and strengthen it."

I grinned, "thank you, Carlisle, but I feel the need to pay with something else as well."

Carlisle chuckled, a deep, rumbling laugh, "then use it well; respect it, clean it and care for it like no other blade you have owned and I will be eternally grateful."

"Done." I grinned and walked out into the sunlight, once again admiring the blade in my grasp. Whispers flooded the arena as soon as I stepped into the open. The surrounding soldiers stepped back as I moved into a fighting stance. I swung the blade in a wide arc, pivoting and twisting as I fought an invisible foe. The sword was indeed heavier and longer than my other sword, but I felt as though I'd been using it in battle for decades.

Suddenly, my blade rung as steel clashed with steel. I glanced at my new foe, only to see Thor sporting a new broadsword. It wasn't what he usually used, but it fit his character. I grinned at him and taunted, "ready to be beat again, brother?"

Thor threw back his head and laughed, "oh, dear brother, you forget I know all of your tricks, you will be the one with their arse in the dust this time!"

I chuckled and watched as my brother attacked. 'Predictable,' I thought to myself, blocking his blow. My blade swung up and blocked Thor's second attack, absorbing an amazing amount of the force behind it. I grinned when Thor looked shocked, and let loose an attack of my own.

Steel rang against steel, filling the air with a marvelous din. My cheeks were beginning to ache from my constant grinning, but I'd never had so much fun sparring with my brother in my entire life. I felt on top of the world until suddenly a jeer broke through the ranks of the soldiers watching us. I turned to see the cause of the commotion, only to have Thor try and gain an advantage in my moment of lapse.

I parried his attack and gazed over his shoulder at a girl who was walking towards the arena. Shocked I spun away from Thor, trying to figure out why this girl was here, and why she looked so damn familiar. Thor kept attacking, swinging his broadsword this way and that. I successfully blocked all of his advances until suddenly I was backed against the wall of the arena.

I heard Thor and some of the soldiers chuckle, but I let loose a smirk. Thor looked momentarily wary, and rightfully so. I used the wall at my back to my advantage and jumped to hit Thor in the chest with both of my feet, rolling away and bouncing back onto my toes. The force of my blow had thrown him backwards, but not off of his feet. He barreled towards me just as I'd gotten up; I'd had only just enough time to raise my sword when he swung down from above. The jeers were getting louder now that the fight was getting interesting.

I smirked again, feeling that the forces of Thor's blows was getting weaker. I'd always had more endurance than my older brother, even though he'd had greater strength. I spun around Thor and swung at his back, ducking when he turned to swing at my head. I chuckled and hit his thigh with the flat of my blade and shoved the hilt into the small of his back, being careful not to hit any vital organs; he was my brother after all and we were only sparring.

Thor fell to the ground, clutching his side and moaning. "Fine." he yelled up at me. "You win! Happy?!"

I grinned in his flushed face. "Very," I said, offering him help up. Like the trusting fool he was, I shoved him back to the ground. "Will you ever not fall for that?" I smirked as he cursed at me under his breath. I helped him up for real that time and scanned the crowd for the girl from earlier. I saw her leaving the smithy, and watched as she then went towards the armory.

Curious, I decided to follow her. I turned to Thor. "Thank you, dear brother, for an excellent win! I hope you find yourself a beautiful woman to cradle your wounded ego." Barks of laughter followed me out of the arena as I followed the girl.

Soon after I looked around the corner of the armory, I saw the girl talking with an old man, handing him a small bundle. I whipped my head around the corner when the girl turned in my direction. when I deemed it safe, I looked around the corner again, only to see the princess herself walking towards me, her face to the ground. I slunk around the other side of the armory to remain unseen, and watched as she walked past.

When she left the training grounds, I walked around the armory to observe the small building she'd left. I looked in one of the small windows and saw the old man from before laying the small bundle in a cradle.

'A baby,' I thought. 'What was the princess doing giving this old man a baby?' I shook my head and made my way back to the keep, my new sword at my side and unsettling thoughts running rampant in my brain.


End file.
